About HCF

Welcome to the Forum!! HVA, the world's leading association for hospice volunteers and hospice volunteer managers, offers this resource to the hospice community and the public-at-large as a public service. If you have a loved one that is seriously ill and is contemplating hospice care, we are here to help direct you and your family to such care and to answer any questions you might have. We also have many resources that can help you as well.

The Hospice Community Forum is open to all members of the hospice community and is sponsored by the Hospice Volunteer Association. Join us!!

About the Music

Graceful Passages: A Companion for Living & Dying, produced by Michael Stillwater and Gary Malkin, provides anyone in transition with a powerful experiential tool for being more compassionate, aware and appreciative. This unique 2-CD set contains spoken and written contributions by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Ira Byock and other spiritual mentors and guides.

HVA NEWS FLASH!!

For the last 10 years HVA's Patient Data Vault program has been revolutionizing the way volunteer programs are managed. Click here to read what Volunteer Coordinators and managers are saying about the program. This exclusive member-only subscription service currently has over 4,000 active users, has successfully processed over 200,000 patient visit forms for our member hospices and currently manages over 25,000 patients for those hospices. You and your volunteers will enjoy the convenience of being able to communicate about, coordinate, report on and access information for their patient assignments via the Internet 24/7.

Participating hospices are finding many advantages to the PDV Service. This LOW COST service (monthly cost per volunteer is less than the cost of a cup of coffee) has numerous cost savings for our member hospices, eases management of their hospice volunteer program and improves the communication efficiency of complex coordination tasks while meeting the strict requirements of the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

They find this service extremely productive and an effective volunteer program management tool. Try it for 30 days FREE!!

For further information about the PDV Service, contact HVA by e-mail or toll-free by telephone at (866) 489-4325.

CAREGIVERS STORE

At least once in your life someone will say to you, “I have cancer,” and when those three words are spoken, you may struggle with a response. In this ebook, you will learn 48 things to do that will support your loved one or friend on this unsettling journey you both will travel. The suggestions range from the simplicity of compassionate listening to the gut-wrenching preparation for death.

“I wish there was a book like this one when I went through the cancer experience with my sister. When things are confusing and frightening, Stan’s insights are informative and comforting. ” — Maxine Kraemer, Caregiver

“Provides a real world, unsentimental guide for how best to care for a loved one, or one’s self, when given a cancer diagnosis, from the 1st day, to the end of life. Very helpful.” — Ari D Baron, MD Chief, Hematology-Oncology California Pacific Medical Center

“Most of us don’t know how to begin the dialogue with a loved one or a friend who says “I have cancer”. This ebook provides us with heartfelt and compassionate guidance on how to “dance with the suffering.” — Greg Schneider, Founder & President Hospice Volunteer Association